DE202017105336U1 - Uniform resource identifier and sharing of images for context information display - Google Patents

Abstract

A user device comprising: a data processing device; a display device; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in data communication with the data processing device that stores instructions executable by the data processing device and, in such an embodiment, causes the data processing device to perform operations including: displaying on a user device the user device a specific native environment instance instance An application that can display multiple different environment instances, wherein the native application is an application that operates to generate the environment instances for display within the native application on the user device, and operates independently of a browser application that can operate on the user device ; Receiving in the user device and while the particular environment instance is an active focus of the user device, a single input operating system command that is a command invoked independently of the native application; in response to the single input operating system command: displaying on the display device a context information map containing a sharing command; in response to a selection of the share command: determining a recipient address that specifies a recipient device that is separate from the user device; Generating an image of the native environment instance of the native application; Selecting a unique resource identifier of the native environment instance of the native application; Generating a message containing the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier; and sending the message containing the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier to the recipient address.

Description

background

The Internet provides access to a wide variety of information. For example, both digital image files, video and / or audio files, as well as web page resources for specific objects or special news articles are accessible via the Internet. In terms of Web site resources, many of these resources are designed to perform special functions such as running. As banking transactions, booking hotel reservations, shopping, etc. to support or structured information such. To provide online encyclopedias, movie databases, etc. Search Engines crawl and index these resources to help search the resources.

In addition, with the advent of tablet computers and smartphones, native applications that support the execution of the same capabilities that are supported by using Web page resources are now being deployed in large numbers. In addition, native applications that do not have web pages with synchronous content, such as As games, on tablet computers and smartphones very popular. Accordingly, search engines now also support searching these native applications.

A user may want information related to a web page resource or native application that is currently active on a user device. Such information is referred to as "context information" because the information the user desires is in the context of the active web page or native application.

In the context of native applications, users may also wish to share information about the native application with other users. Some systems allow users to take a screenshot of a specific environment instance of a native application and send the screenshot to other users. Users can also manually enter or select information about a native application and also send that information to other users.

In accordance with the provisions of the Utility Model Law, only devices as defined in the appended claims are subject to protection and subject matter of the utility model, but are not methods. When reference is made in the following description to methods, these references are to serve only for a better understanding of the device or devices that are protected in the appended claims.

Summary

This description relates to sharing context information of an active native application on a first user device with other user devices.

In general, an innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification may be embodied in methods that may include the actions for displaying on a user device of a native application specific environment instance display device that may display a plurality of different environment instances, wherein the native application includes a An application that can work to create the environment instances for display within the native application on the user device, and operates independently of a browser application that can operate on the user device; Receiving in the user device and while the particular environment instance is an active user device focus is a single input operating system command that is a command invoked independently of the native application; in response to the single input operating system command: displays on the display device a context information map containing a split command and at least one or more additional commands; in response to a selection of the share command: determining a recipient address specifying a recipient device that is separate from the user device, generating an image of the native environment's native instance, selecting a uniform resource identifier of the native application's native instance, generating a message containing the image of the special environment instance and the unified resource identifier, and sending the message that contains the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier to the recipient address. Other embodiments of this aspect include respective computer systems, devices, and computer programs stored on one or more computer storage devices, each of which is configured to perform the actions of the methods. A system of one or more computers may be configured to perform special operations or actions by having software, firmware, or hardware, or a combination thereof, installed on the system that operates or causes the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs may be configured to perform special operations or actions thereby that they contain instructions that then; when executed by a computing device causes the device to perform the actions.

Specific embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented to implement one or more of the following advantages. Contextual information that includes a screenshot of an active native application and a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the native application's native environment instance that is included in the screenshot can be shared using an intuitive, easy-to-use interaction model. This allows a user to quickly and efficiently share desired information with other users via a native application, and allows the other users to instantiate the native application on their receiving devices, e.g. To start or install and start to process the URI and create the same or similar environment instance depicted in the screenshot. The context information that is shared represents the efficient use of information because it is not necessary to share the execution code of the native application so that the environment instance can be recreated on a device of a receiver user. The network traffic between users in the process of sharing is thus reduced, and the load on both the device of the sharing user from the perspective of generating information for sharing and on the device of the receiving user from the perspective of interpreting and processing the received information is reduced. The receiver user is nonetheless able to easily determine both a mapping of an environment instance and the way in which the native application should be started or installed and started to create the same or a similar environment instance.

Also, because entering the query-independent context information request does not require query input, and the Share command does not require manual selection of a URI, the system does not have to perform text-to-speech processing or process a written input. This leads to fewer input errors and incorrectly entered queries. Accordingly, on the whole, thousands of erroneous and inaccurate queries and messages are avoided, which in turn ensures more efficient use of network resources. This improves the technological field of processing searches and sharing information among users, and thus is another clear advantage realized by the systems and methods described below. Using a query-independent request results in an efficient input mechanism because it reduces the number of inputs that must be processed compared to input mechanisms in which the format or content of a particular query must be processed in order to obtain appropriate context information. In addition, it is not necessary to separately configure the processing of the context information request for different situations since the request may be independent of a particular environment or native application. This further increases the efficiency with which contextual information can be obtained.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, drawings and claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The 1A and 1B Figures are block diagrams of example environments in which contextual information is provided to a native application and a native application screen picture and a uniform resource identifier (URI) are shared.

2 Fig. 10 is a flow chart of an example process for splitting an image and a URI of a native application.

3 Figure 10 is a block diagram of an example environment in which context information is provided for active content.

4 FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example mobile computing device. FIG.

Like reference numerals and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Detailed description

A user device implementing the systems and methods described below enables capturing a screen shot of an active native application and a uniform resource identifier for the native application specific environment instance captured in the screenshot. This recording of this information and sharing is done by using an intuitive, easy-to-use context interaction model achieved.

As used herein, a native application creates environment instances for display on a user device within a native application environment and operates on the user device independently of a browser application. A native application is an application that is specifically designed to run on a particular operating system and machine firmware of a user device. Native applications are thus different from browser-based applications and browser-rendered applications. The latter, whenever instantiated or rendered, require all or at least some elements or instructions downloaded from a web server. Moreover, browser-based applications and browser-rendered resources can be processed by all web-enabled mobile devices within the browser and are therefore not OS-specific. Each native application specific environment instance is specified by a "deep link", which may otherwise be referred to as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). The URI may be constructed according to a particular standard or may be of a structure unique to the particular native application. The URI causes the native application to instantiate an instance of the specified native application.

By using a single input operating system command, a user may receive context information related to an active environment instance of a native application. The user may then select a Share command that generates a message containing a screenshot of the native active instance of the environment and a "deep link", e.g. For example, a common resource identifier that contains the active environment instance. This user can then send the screenshot and the deep link in a single message to one or more users. Upon receipt, each receiving user can view the screenshot. Should the viewing user wish to instantiate the same native application on the receiving device, the user may select a command, e.g. B. by interacting with the image in a special way, such. By "long press" to instantiate the native application on the receiving device. The native application can then process the URI to create the same (or a similar) environment instance.

These features and additional features are described in more detail below.

The 1A and 1B Figures are block diagrams of example environments in which context information is provided to a native application and a native application screenshot and a common resource identifier (URI) are shared. 1A In particular, requests and receives a context information map when a particular environment instance of a native application is active, and 1B In particular, sharing of a screen shot of the native environment instance of the native application together with the deep linking of the particular environment instance.

Regarding 1A is a user device 110 used by a user to obtain context information for a native application. The user device 110 is an electronic device capable of requesting and receiving resources over the network. Examples of user devices 110 include mobile communication devices (eg, smartphones or tablets) and other devices that can send and receive data over the network. The native application works, and a special environment instance 112 is the active focus, eg. The active window, and respond immediately to inputs made on the display device of the user device 110 be received.

The user device may also contain other information such as. B. View web resources. These may include HTML pages, electronic documents, image files, video files, text messaging, emails, application graphical user interfaces, and so on. Like an environment instance of a native application, a resource may also be an active focus of the display device. For the sake of brevity, an active resource or environment instance of an active native application is referred to as "active content".

The user device 110 detects that the user desires context information for the active content. For example, the user device 110 a special environment instance 112 a native application, and the active focus can be on the environment instance 112 be. The environment instance 112 can, for example, graphic 114 and text 116 contain. The user can generate an indication for context information, e.g. B. by pressing a button 11 , z. A "home" button, for three seconds, or tapping the screen according to a predetermined jog pattern, etc. Such an instruction, in some implementations, is a single input operating system instruction invoked independently of the native application. In other words, the same command can span more than one different native applications and web resources are used.

It is assumed for the sake of clarity that the user performs a long press indicating that the user has context information for the particular environment instance 112 the native application wishes. In response, the user device provides 110 a query-independent request 113 for the context information server 150 for context information for the specific environment instance 112 the native application ready. For example, the user device 110 Provide a request that includes a screenshot of the native application's native environment instance, native application information, native application environment instance URI, and so on.

The request may be considered as a query-independent request because the user device 110 the request for the context information server 150 without the user having to enter conditions for a query whether verbal, physical or other interaction. For example, after the user device 110 detects that a user has long pressed a button, the user device 110 the request for the context information server 150 without requesting additional information from the user.

In response to providing the request for the context information server 150 receives the user device 110 then one or more user interface elements from the context information server 150 , As in 1A is shown, the received information is a context information map 160 , However, other user interface elements may be used, such as chat bubbles, selectable linked notes or footnotes, etc. The context information map 160 can provide context information about the native application and / or native environment instance of the native application, such as: Images, text, audio and video, and one or more commands 162 contain. As in 1A shown contain the commands 162 a search command that can invoke a separate search in a search user interface, a review command that can retrieve reviews of the native application, and a share command that displays a screenshot of the environment instance 112 and generate a URI of the environment instance and send the screenshot and the URI to another user device.

1B forms a process flow in response to a selection of a sharing command in the context information map 160 from. The process flow is primarily related to 2 described a flowchart of an example process 200 for splitting an image and a URI of a native application.

In 1B owns the context information card 160 the active focus of the user device 110 because it is displayed in the foreground. To get the active focus on the map 162 To emphasize the special environment instance 112 on the user device 110 shaded or displayed under a slightly opaque layer, as shown by the phantom lines of the picture elements.

To be in the state in 1B First, the user device displayed a specific environment instance of a native application ( 202 ) and, while the specific environment instance was in the active focus state, received a single input operating system command, which is a command invoked independently of the native application ( 204 ). For example, received in 1A the user device 110 that the environment instance 112 and while the environment instance 112 the active focus of the user device was a long press of the Home button 111 ,

In response to the single input operating system command, the user device displays a context information map containing a sharing command and at least one or more additional commands ( 206 ). For example, received in 1B the user device 110 the context information card 160 and showed the card 160 at. The map 160 contains a "share" command and, as represented by the bold border, the share command has been selected.

In response to a selection of the Share command, the user device generates a message containing an image 122 the special environment instance 112 the native application and a uniform resource identifier 124 the special environment instance contains ( 208 ). The picture 122 may be generated by invoking a system command that generates an image from the native window viewport data.

The uniform resource identifier 124 the special environment instance 112 For example, the native application may be selected from a user device cache from recently used common resource identifiers. For example, the operating system of the user device 110 trace in a local history cache the unified resource identifiers that were last selected by each native application. In a variation of this implementation, any native application that is unified can be configured Provide resource identifiers that it processes for the cache.

Alternatively, the unified resource identifier 124 the special environment instance 112 the native application by the operating system of the user device 110 and be requested by the native application. For example, the operating system of the user device 110 send the request via an application programming interface (API) that is configured to communicate with the native applications and, thereafter, receive the unified resource identifier in response to the request.

A recipient address is determined for sharing, e.g. By selection by the user or by a default address. Multiple recipient addresses can also be selected. The user device 110 then send the message that the picture 122 the special environment instance 112 and the unified resource identifier 124 contains, to the recipient address ( 210 ). For example, the message may be sent as a text message, a message, or a message processed by a digital assistant. Other message types can also be used.

In some implementations, the user device generates 110 the message by embedding the unified resource identifier 124 in image metadata of the image 122 , Thus, after receiving by the user device, such. B. the user device 130 in 1B , the picture 122 displayed, but the uniform resource identifier 124 is not simply displayed to the user. In other implementations, the user device takes the unified resource identifier 124 and the picture 122 as separate elements separated from each other in the display device of the user device 130 are displayed.

The user device 130 can process a navigation command in response to the message. For example, the user of the user device can use the image 122 "Long press" if the uniform resource identifier 124 in the picture 122 is embedded, or can be the unified resource identifier 124 if the uniform resource identifier is displayed separately from the image.

In response to the navigation command, the user device becomes 130 the native application at the special environment instance 112 by the uniform resource identifier 124 is addressed, instantiate. That's in the user device 130-B shown by the picture 122 to the actual environment instance 112 has passed.

In some implementations, the environment instance becomes 112 in the receiving user device 130 be the same as the environment instance 112 in the sending user device 110 , This occurs when the native application 112 does not require any special user information and the information in the environment instance 110 Publication information is, for. For example, there is no personal information obtained using a log-in process specific to the sending user. The uniform resource identifier 124 can also contain query parameters and other parameters that the native application processes to the specific environment instance 112 to arrive.

The process of instantiating a native application involves starting the native application and processing the unified resource identifier 124 through the native application. In the case when the native application is not on the user device 130 is installed, the user device can automatically install the native application from a native application supplier as part of the instantiation and then start the native application. Alternatively, the user may be prompted to confirm the installation of the native application.

Although sharing an image of an environment instance 122 and a corresponding unified resource identifier 124 in the context of a sharing command from a context information map, the sharing of such information may also be provided independently of the context information map. For example, another type of single input operating system command may be used to generate the message containing the image 122 the special environment instance 112 and the unified resource identifier 124 contains without displaying the context map 160 with the divide command. An example of such a command is to press the button 111 according to a predetermined sequence, e.g. For example, four times short tap within two seconds.

In another implementation, the message representing the image 122 and the unified resource identifier 124 contains context information from the context map 160 contain. For example, the context information may be a summary of the native application, a review, or other information. After receiving the message, the user device 130-A allow the user the picture 122 to "wipe" the page to the unified resource identifier and context information. The user may then choose to launch the native application (or install and start the native application) by selecting the unified resource identifier, or instead may review and interact with the contextual information.

3 Figure 10 is a block diagram of an example environment in which context information is provided for active content. The environment 300 contains a client context module 310 on a user device 110 and a context information server 312 , The context information server 312 contains an element identification engine 320 , an element knowledge graph 322 , a relevance rating engine 330 , an element selection engine 340 and a context map providing unit 350 ,

The client context module 310 determines that a user desires context information for an active content. In response to determining that a user desires context information for active content, the client context module generates 310 a request for the context information server 312 for context information for the active content.

The client context module 310 can include information about the active content in the request. For example, the client context module 310 create a screenshot of the active content, provide a tree-based document object model that defines what is currently playing in an application that is in the foreground, and includes the model in the request, and so on.

In some implementations, the client context module may 310 include the information about the active content in the request by additionally or alternatively determining additional information about the request and including the additional information in the request. The additional information about the request may include one or more of a consistent resource identifier for the active content, metadata describing the active content, and so on.

The client context module 310 then makes the request for the item identification engine 320 ready without the user entering a query. For example, the client context module 310 the request for the item identification engine 320 in response to the user providing the indication that the user desires contextual information for the active content, e.g. B. three quick keystrokes, a long key press or other indication, without the user any further information, eg. Query conditions, after providing the indication.

In response to providing the request for the element identification engine 320 receives the client context module 320 a context map and render the context map. For example, the context map 160 of the 1A and 1B received and displayed.

To the card 160 to generate, receives the element identification engine 320 the request for context information and identifies one or more search items from the content in the active resource. A search element may be designated by a text fragment, e.g. As a term or phrase, and search elements can, for. B. be distinguishable based on the context of each other. For example, a search item may be a keyword, an entity of a particular entity, a proper name, an entity or relationship modeled by a node or edge in a knowledge graph, or the like.

The relevance rating engine 330 The search elements can be identified by the element identification engine 320 are identified, received and determine a relevance score for each of the search items. A variety of relevance evaluation processes can be used. For example, the relevance score may reflect a belief that the search item is relevant to the user, ie, a degree of confidence that the user wants to see the contextual information about the search item. The relevance rating engine 330 may also determine a relevance score for a search item based on a appearance of the text from which the search item was identified. For example, the relevance rating engine 330 determine that the active content is a text message conversation, and in response determine relevance ratings that reflect a higher level of confidence for search items identified from text that appears closer to the bottom of the screen since that text is contained in more recent messages can. In another example, the relevance ranking engine 330 determine that the active content is a candidate instance, and in response determine relevance ratings that reflect a higher level of confidence for search items identified from text that appears closer to the top of the screen, as this text is more relevant to the native application can be. Other rating techniques may also be used.

The element selection engine 340 selects a subset of the search items according to the relevance ratings and sets the Shortcut selection unit selection search items 350 ready. The context map deployment unit 350 can obtain context maps containing context information map for the selected search elements and context maps for the client context module 310 provide. For example, the context map deployment unit 350 get a description of the native application and a link to native application reviews and then a contextual information map 160 generate the description and link to the reviews.

In situations where the systems discussed herein collect personal information about users or use personal information, users may be provided an opportunity to control whether programs or features collect user information (eg, information about a user's social network, social actions or activities, profession, a user's preferences or current location of the user), or to control whether and / or how content is received from the content server that may be more relevant to the user. Additionally, specific data may be treated in one or more ways before being stored or used so that personally identifiable information is removed. For example, a user's identity may be treated so that no personally identifiable information can be identified to the user, or a user's geographic location may be generalized if information about the whereabouts is obtained (such as a city, a Postal code or at the state level), so that a specific location of a user can not be determined. Thus, the user can have control over how information about the user is collected and used by a content server.

4 FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example mobile computing device. FIG. In this illustration, the mobile computing device is 410 as a portable mobile phone (eg, a smartphone or an application phone) that is a display device 412 touch-sensitive screen for presenting content to a user of the mobile computing device 410 and receiving touch-based user input. Other visual, tactile, or audible output components may also be provided (eg, LED lights, a tactile output vibration mechanism, or a speaker for providing sound, voice-generated, or recorded output), as well as various different input components.

An example of a visual output mechanism in the form of a display device 412 may take the form of a display device with resistive or capacitive touch capabilities. The display device may serve to display video, graphics, images and text and to coordinate input locations for user touches with the location of the displayed information such that the device 410 can associate the user contact with the item in a location of a displayed item. The mobile computing device 410 may also take alternative forms including a laptop computer, a tablet or slate computer, a personal digital assistant, an embedded system (eg, a car navigation system), a desktop personal computer, or a computer workstation.

The mobile computing device 410 may be for determining a position of a physical contact with the display device 412 be capable of using a touch-sensitive screen (eg, a position of the contact by a finger or a stylus). Using the touch-sensitive screen 412 Various "virtual" input mechanisms can be produced where a user interacts with an element of a graphical user interface on the touch-sensitive screen 512 is pictured interacting by contacting the element of the graphical user interface. An example of a "virtual" input mechanism is a "software keyboard" where a keyboard is displayed on the touch-sensitive screen and a user pressing keys by pressing an area of the touch-sensitive screen 412 , which corresponds to each key, selects.

The mobile computing device 410 can be mechanical or touch-sensitive buttons 418a -D included. Additionally, the mobile computing device may have buttons for adjusting the volume through the one or more speakers 420 and a button for turning on and off the mobile computing device. A microphone 422 allows the mobile computing device 410 converts audible tones into an electrical signal that can be digitally encoded and stored in computer readable memory or transmitted to another computing device. The mobile computing device 410 It can also include a digital compass, an accelerometer, proximity sensors, and ambient light sensors.

An operating system may provide an interface between the hardware of the mobile computing device (eg, the input / output mechanisms and a processor that executes instructions retrieved from a computer-readable medium) and software. The Operating system may provide a platform for executing application programs that support the interaction between the computing device and a user.

The mobile computing device 410 can be a graphical user interface with the touch-sensitive screen 412 present. A graphical user interface is a collection of one or more elements of the graphical user interface and may be static (eg, the display appears to stay the same over a period of time) or may be dynamic (e.g., the graphical user interface includes elements of the graphical interface, the without user input are animated).

An element of a graphical interface may be text, lines, shapes, images, or combinations thereof. For example, an element of a graphical interface may be an icon displayed on the desktop and the text associated with the icon. In some examples, an element of a graphical interface is user-selectable. For example, the user may select an element of a graphical interface by pressing an area of the touch-sensitive screen that corresponds to a display of the element of the graphical interface. In some examples, the user may manipulate a trackball to highlight a single element of a graphical interface that has the focus. Selection by the user of an element of a graphical interface may invoke a predefined action by the mobile computing device. Selection by the user of a key can invoke the predefined action.

The mobile computing device 410 may contain other applications, computer subsystems and hardware. A voice recognition service 472 can receive voice communication data through the microphone 422 the mobile computing device, and convert the voice communication into corresponding text data or perform voice recognition. The processed speech data may be input to the command models included in the command model data 122 are stored to determine whether the speech input used to generate the speech data calls a special action for a particular application, as described above. One or more of the applications, services, and devices listed below may have corresponding actions invoked by such voice commands.

A call handling unit may receive an indication of an incoming telephone call and provide the opportunity for a user to accept the incoming telephone call. A media player may allow a user to listen to music or play movies stored in the local memory of the mobile computing device 410 are stored. The mobile device 410 may include a digital camera sensor and corresponding image and video capture and editing software. An internet browser may allow the user to view content from a web page by typing in an address corresponding to the web page or selecting a link to the web page.

A service provider operating the network of base stations may be the mobile computing device 410 with the net 450 connect to communication between the mobile computing device 410 and other computer systems, the services 460 provide, enable. Although the services 460 can be provided via different networks (eg the service provider's internal network, the public telephone network and the Internet) is the network 450 represented as a single network. The service provider may be a server system 452 operate the information packets and voice data between the mobile computing device 410 and computer systems serving the services 460 are assigned routes.

The network 450 can the mobile computing device 410 with the public telephone network (PSTN) 462 connect to voice or fax communication between the mobile computing device 410 and another computer device. For example, the server system 452 the service provider an indication of the PSTN 462 about an incoming call for the mobile computing device 410 receive. Conversely, the mobile computing device 410 a communication to the server system 452 of the service provider who is making a telephone call using a telephone number associated with a device via the PSTN 462 accessible, initiated.

The network 450 can the mobile computing device 410 with a voice-over-internet protocol service (VoIP service) 464 which routes voice communication over an IP network, unlike the PSTN. For example, a user of the mobile computing device 410 call a VoIP application and initiate a call using the program. The server system 452 The service provider may forward voice data from the call to a VoIP service that may route the call over the Internet to a corresponding computing device, possibly using the PSTN for a last branch of the call.

An application store 466 can for a user of the mobile computing device 410 provide the ability to keep a list of stored application programs that the user has over the network 450 download and on the mobile computing device 410 can install, browse. The application store 466 can serve as a depot for applications developed by third-party developers. An application program running on the mobile computing device 410 installed, can be capable over the network 450 to communicate with server systems designated for the application program. For example, a VoIP application program from the application store 466 be downloaded, which allows the user to use the VoIP service 464 to communicate.

The mobile computing device 410 can over the network 450 on content on the internet 468 access. For example, a user of the mobile computing device 410 call a web browser application that requests data from remote computing devices that are accessible at designated universal resource locations. In various examples, some of the services 460 accessible via the Internet.

The mobile computing device 410 can with a personal computer 470 communicate. For example, the personal computer 470 a home computer for a user of the mobile computing device 410 be. Thus, the user may be able to receive media from a personal computer 470 to stream. The user can also view the file structure of his personal computer 470 view and transfer selected documents between the computer devices.

The mobile computing device 410 can with a social network 474 communicate. The social network may contain many members, some of whom have agreed to be connected as acquaintances. Application programs on the mobile computing device 410 can on the social network 474 to retrieve information based on the acquaintances of the user of the mobile computing device. For example, an address book application program can retrieve telephone numbers for the user's acquaintances. In various examples, content may be sent to the mobile computing device 410 be delivered based on the distance in the social network from the user to other members in a member graph of social networks and connection relationships. For example, advertising and news article content may be selected for the user based on an interaction level with such content by members who are "close" to the user (eg, members who are "friends" or "friends of friends").

The mobile computing device 410 can over the network 450 on a personal group of contacts 476 access. Each contact may identify a person and include information about that person (eg, a telephone number, an e-mail address, and a birthday). Because the group of contacts is removed to the mobile computing device 410 is hosted, the user can access and maintain the contacts across multiple devices as a common group of contacts.

The mobile computing device 410 can be based on cloud-based application programs 478 access. Cloud computing provides application programs (eg, a word processing program or an e-mail program) that are remote from the mobile computing device 410 are hosted and passed through the device 410 can be accessed using a web browser or a dedicated program.

A map service 480 can the mobile computing device 410 provide with road maps, route planning information and satellite imagery. The map service 480 can also receive requests and return site-specific results. For example, the mobile computing device 410 an estimated location of the mobile computing device and a request by the user for "pizzerias" to the map service 480 send. The map service 480 can return a road map with "markers" superimposed on the map identifying the geographic locations of nearby "pizzerias".

The directions service 482 can the mobile computing device 410 provide directions to a user-specified destination. For example, the route description service 482 a road-level view of an estimated location of the device to the device 410 stream, along with data for providing audio commands and overlaying arrows representing a user of the device 410 lead to the goal.

Different forms of streaming media 484 can through the mobile computing device 410 be requested. For example, the computing device 410 request a pre-recorded video stream, live TV program, or live radio program.

A micro-blogging service 486 can from the mobile computing device 410 receive a post entered by the user, which contains the Recipient of the post not identified. The micro-blogging service 486 can mail to other members of the micro-blogging service 486 who have agreed to subscribe to the user.

A search engine 488 may be the textual or verbal requests entered by a user from the mobile computing device 410 receive a set of Internet-accessible documents that answer and determine the request for the device 410 Provide information to display a list of search results for the response documents. In examples in which a verbal request is received, the voice recognition service may 472 convert the received audio into a text request sent to the search engine.

These and other services can be in a server system 852 be implemented. A server system may be a combination of hardware and software that provides a service or group of services. For example, a group of physically separate and networked computing devices may work together as a logical server system unit to handle operations necessary to provide a service to hundreds of computing devices. The server system is referred to here as well as a computer system.

In various implementations, operations that are performed "in response to" or "as a consequence of another" operation (eg, a determination or an identification) are not performed if the previous operation is unsuccessful (e.g. if the determination was not carried out). Operations that are performed "automatically" are operations that are performed without user intervention (eg, an intrusive user input). Features in this document that are described with conditional language may describe implementations that are optional. In some examples, "transmitting" from a first device to a second device includes having the first device place data in a network for receipt by the second device, but need not include the second device receiving the data. Conversely, "receiving" from a first device may include receiving the data from a network, but need not include the first device transmitting the data.

"Determining" by a computer system may include the computer system requesting another device to perform the determination and to supply the results to the computer system. Additionally, "displaying" or "presenting" by a computer system may include the computer system sending data to cause another device to display or present the referenced information.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described in this specification may be incorporated in a digital electronic circuitry or in computer software, firmware, or hardware including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents Combinations of one or more of them can be implemented. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented as one or more computer programs, i. H. one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by or for controlling the operation of a data processing device. Alternatively or additionally, the program instructions may be encoded on an artificially generated broadcast signal, e.g. A machine-generated electrical, optical or electromagnetic signal generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver devices for execution by a data processing device. A computer storage medium may be or may be included in a computer readable storage device, a computer readable storage substrate, a storage array or random access or serial access storage device, or a combination of one or more thereof. In addition, while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computer storage medium may be a source or destination for computer program instructions encoded in an artificially generated broadcast signal. The computer storage medium may also be or may be included in one or more separate physical components or media (eg, multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices).

The operations described in this specification may be implemented as operations performed by a data processing device on data stored in one or more computer-readable storage devices or received from other sources.

The term "data processing device" includes all types of devices, devices and machines for processing data, including as an example a programmable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, several or combinations of the foregoing. The device may include special logic circuitry, e.g. As an FGPA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC ( application specific integrated circuit). The apparatus may also include, in addition to hardware, code that generates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g. Code that forms processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more thereof. The facility and execution environment may include various different computer model infrastructures, such as: Web services, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also referred to as a program, software, software application, script or code) may be written in any form of programming language containing compiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, and may be distributed in any form that may be termed a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, or other entity suitable for use in a computer environment. A computer program may or may not be equivalent to a file in a file system. A program may be stored in a section of a file containing other programs or data (eg, one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (eg, files that store one or more modules, subroutines or code sections). A computer program may be distributed to run on one computer or on multiple computers located at one site or distributed over multiple sites and interconnected by a communications network.

The processes and logic operations described in this specification may be performed by one or more programmable processors that run one or more computer programs to perform actions by working on input data and generating outputs. The processes and logic operations may also be implemented by special logic circuitry, e.g. For example, an FGPA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) may be implemented, and the device may be implemented as such.

Processors suitable for executing a computer program include, by way of example, both general purpose and specialty microprocessors and any one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. In general, a computer will also have one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g. Magnetic, magneto-optical disks or optical disks, or operably coupled thereto to receive, transmit data to, or both. However, a computer need not have such devices. In addition, a computer may be embedded in another device, e.g. In a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device (e.g., a flash drive via the universal serial bus (USB flash drive), to name just a few .Means suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, media, and memory devices exemplifying semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and Flash Magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory may be supplemented or integrated with special logic circuitry.

To facilitate interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g. A CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g. A mouse or trackball through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may be used to also allow interaction with a user; For example, feedback provided to the user may be some form of sensory feedback, e.g. A visual feedback, an audible feedback or a tactile feedback; and an input from the user may be received in any form that includes audio, voice or tactile input. In addition, a computer may interact with a user by sending documents to a device and receiving documents from a device used by the user; for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user device of a user in response to requests received from the web browser.

Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented in a computer system having a backend component, e.g. As a data server or that contains a middleware component, e.g. As an application server contains, or a front-end component, for. A user computer having a graphical user interface or web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described in this specification, or any combination of one or more such backend, middleware or frontend components. The components of the system may be replaced by any form or medium for digital data communication, e.g. As a communication network, be connected to each other. Examples of communication networks include a local area network ("LAN") and a wide area network ("WAN"), an inter-network (eg, the Internet), and peer-to-peer networks (eg, ad hoc peer -to-peer networks).

The computer system may include users and servers. A user and a server are generally distant from each other and typically interact over a communications network. The relationship between user and server arises because of the computer programs running on the respective computers and having a user-server relationship with each other. In some embodiments, a server sends data (eg, an HTML page) to a user device (eg, for the purpose of displaying the data to a user and receiving user input from a user interacting with the user device). Data generated in the user device (eg, a result of user interaction) may be received at the server by the user device.

While this description includes many specific details of the implementation, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any inventions or claims that may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of the features specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Specific features described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in several embodiments or implemented in any suitable subcombination. In addition, although features may be described above as being operable in specific combinations and may be claimed as such at the outset, one or more features of a claimed combination may, in some instances, be removed from the combination, and the claimed combination may be a subcombination or variation to a subcombination.

Similarly, although operations in the drawings are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations are performed to be desirable To achieve results. Under special circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing can be beneficial. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be construed to require such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems are generally integrated together in a single software product or integrated into a single software product several software products can be packaged.

Thus, specific embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order or sequential order shown to achieve desirable results. In specific implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be beneficial.

Claims (13)

A user device comprising: a data processing device; a display device; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in data communication with the data processing device that stores instructions executable by the data processing device and, in such an embodiment, causes the data processing device to perform operations including: displaying on a user device the user device a particular native instance environment instance Application that can display multiple different environment instances, where the native application is an application that works, to create the environment instances for display within the native application on the user device, and operates independently of a browser application that can operate on the user device; Receiving in the user device and while the particular environment instance is an active focus of the user device, a single input operating system command that is a command invoked independently of the native application; in response to the single input operating system command: displaying on the display device a context information map containing a sharing command; in response to a selection of the share command: determining a recipient address that specifies a recipient device that is separate from the user device; Generating an image of the native environment instance of the native application; Selecting a unique resource identifier of the native environment instance of the native application; Generating a message containing the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier; and sending the message containing the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier to the recipient address. The user device of claim 1, wherein generating the message including the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier includes embedding the uniform resource identifier in image metadata of the image, in response to a navigation command on the image at a user device receiving the message The user device will instantiate the native application to the specific environment instance addressed by the unified resource identifier. The user device of claim 1, wherein generating the message including the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier includes capturing the uniform resource identifier and the image metadata of the image as separate elements displayed separately, and wherein in response to a navigation command on the unified resource identifier at a user device receiving the message, the user device will instantiate the native application at the specific environment instance addressed by the unified resource identifier. The user device of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein selecting the native resource identifier of the native environment instance of the native application comprises selecting the unique resource identifier from a user device cache of the most recently used common resource identifiers. The user device of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein selecting the native resource identifier of the native environment specific instance of the native application comprises requesting by the operating system of the user device and by the native application of the unique resource identifier of the specific environment instance. A user device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: in response to the single input operating system command, the user device generates a query-independent request for contextual information relevant to the native application; and the context information map contains contextual information received from a search system and which is the answer to the query-independent request for context information. The user device of claim 6, wherein generating the message includes capturing with the image of the specific environment instance and the unified resource identifier the context information. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executable by a user device and, in such an embodiment, causes the user device to perform operations including: displaying on a user device the user device a specific native instance environment instance indicating multiple different environment instances wherein the native application is an application that operates to generate the environment instances for display within the native application on the user device, and operates independently of a browser application that can operate on the user device; Receiving in the user device and while the particular environment instance is an active user device focus is a single input operating system command that is a command invoked independently of the native application; in response to the single input operating system command: displaying on the display device a context information map containing a sharing command; in response to a selection of the share command: Determining a recipient address that specifies a recipient device that is separate from the user device; Generating an image of the native environment instance of the native application; Selecting a unique resource identifier of the native environment instance of the native application; Generating a message containing the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier; and sending the message containing the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier to the recipient address. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein generating the message including the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier includes embedding the uniform resource identifier in image metadata of the image, wherein in response to a navigation command on the image at a user device, receiving the message, the user device will instantiate the native application at the particular environment instance addressed by the uniform resource identifier. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein generating the message including the image of the specific environment instance and the uniform resource identifier includes capturing the uniform resource identifier and the image metadata of the image as separate elements displayed separately, and wherein Responsive to a navigation command on the unified resource identifier at a user device receiving the message, the user device will instantiate the native application at the specific environment instance addressed by the unified resource identifier. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein selecting the native resource identifier of the native application native environment instance comprises selecting the unique resource identifier from a user device cache of the most recently used common resource identifiers. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein selecting the native resource identifier of the native environment instance of the native application comprises requesting by the operating system of the user device and the native application of the unique resource identifier native environment instance. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any of claims 8 to 12, wherein: in response to the single input operating system command, the user device generates a query-independent request for contextual information relevant to the native application; and the context information map contains context information received from a search system and which is the answer to the query-independent request for context information.

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